What a mess we would be in were it not for the forgiveness
of Jesus. What a mess the disciples would have been in after Easter if Jesus
did not forgive them for abandoning him during his Passion. Like last Sunday,
the Gospel today (Luke 24:35-48) is another account of Jesus risen from the
dead appearing to his disciples on Easter Sunday evening, but from a different
perspective to John’s account last Sunday. The two disciples had met Jesus on
the road to Emmaus and recognized him only after he had broken bread with them.
Now they have returned to Jerusalem to tell the others and after they have
shared their account of seeing Jesus, he now appears to the entire group gathered
together. Imagine the sense of shame the disciples must now feel for having
abandoned Jesus during his Passion. We too feel a sense of shame when we
abandon Jesus when we sin. That is really what happens when we sin; we abandon
Jesus. We choose something else above Jesus. We put Jesus in second place.
Sin is always abandoning Jesus for something or someone else. So it is good
when we are sensitive enough to recognize that we have abandoned Jesus and we
feel a sense of shame and guilt. I say it is good because when we have a sense
of shame or guilt we can turn to Jesus for healing. If we did not have a sense
of shame or guilt we would remain in our sorry state of having abandoned Jesus.

But Jesus does not want us to remain in shame or guilt.
He did not want his disciples to remain in shame or guilt and so his first words
to them as we heard in our Gospel were, “Peace be with you.” (Luke 24:35) His meeting with
his disciples is really one in which he forgives them for having abandoned him.
He comes to them again as the same familiar person and so he shows them the
wounds in his hands and feet (Luke 24:39). Naturally they would have wondered about the wounds. He had eaten many meals with them and now once again
he eats a meal with them, whatever piece of fish they had was good enough for
him (Luke 24:41-43). This gentle meeting did so much to ease the tension and calm nerves.
Emotions were beginning to return to normal again. “Why are you troubled? And
why do questions arise in your hearts?” he asks to reassure them that everything
is okay (Luke 24:38). Jesus is accepting his disciples as his disciples again and not
chastising
them for having abandoned him. After we sin Jesus wants us to return to him
quickly also.

Now that the disciples have received the forgiveness of
Jesus he gives them a mission as we heard in the Gospel, to preach his
forgiveness to others,

Thus it is written that the
Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that
repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his
name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these
things. (Luke 24:46-48)

Notice that Jesus expects people to repent of
their sins. He said,

Thus it is written that the
Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that
repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name
to all the nations… (Luke 24:46-47)

When we sin our natural reaction is to repent of
our sins. We want to do penance to make up for having abandoned Jesus by
sinning. As Peter said in the first reading, “Repent, therefore, and be
converted, that your sins may be wiped away.” (Acts 3:19) The best repentance is
to make a firm decision not to commit that sin again. We are only sincere in
our sorrow for sin if we really decide to put Jesus first and not abandon him
again.

When we repent and are genuinely sorry and want to return
to Jesus and not sin again he forgives us in the
Sacrament of Reconciliation.
How is it that we can receive the forgiveness of Jesus? Jesus paid the price
for our sins by his passion and death on the cross. The forgiveness of Jesus
flows to us from the cross. Remember the words of Jesus during the Last Supper
which we hear in every Mass at the consecration,

“This is my Body which will be
given up for you…”

“This is the cup of my blood. It
will be shed for you and for all for the forgiveness of sins…”

It is from Jesus on the cross that forgiveness
comes to us. Notice also that in our Gospel today as Jesus restores the broken
relationship with his disciples he shows them the wounds in his hands and his
feet. (Luke 24:39) It is the pain Jesus suffered from those wounds that heals the disciples
and heals us of our sins.

When our sins cry out to the Father for punishment, the
passion, death and the wounds of Jesus cry out to the Father to forgive us
instead. So in the second reading we heard,

My children, I am writing this to
you so that you may not commit sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one. He is expiation for our sins,
and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2)

There is judgment and our sins are evidence
against us, but Jesus pleads on our behalf and we could have no better attorney
than Jesus to plead our case. Jesus’ wounds are the defense on our behalf so
that we can gain forgiveness.

When we sin Jesus does not want us to remain in shame or
guilt. He wants to heal the broken relationship, broken by our abandoning
him in sin. Therefore after sin we always want to return to Jesus in repentance
and sorrow. He says to us, “Peace be with you.” (Luke 24:35) From his wounds we receive
forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation as the priest in the name of God
absolves us of our sins.

Thus it is written that the
Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that
repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name
to all the nations… (Luke 24:46-47)